Digital Commons Network^™

Metrics For Solar Wind Prediction Models: Comparison Of Empirical, Hybrid, And Physics‐Based Schemes With 8 Years Of L1 Observations, M. J. Owens, Harlan E. Spence, S. Mcgregor, W. J. Hughes, J. M. Quinn, C. N. Arge, P. Riley, J. Linker, D. Odstrcil

Physics & Astronomy

[1] Space weather effects on technological systems originate with energy carried from the Sun to the terrestrial environment by the solar wind. In this study, we present results of modeling of solar corona-heliosphere processes to predict solar wind conditions at the L1 Lagrangian point upstream of Earth. In particular we calculate performance metrics for (1) empirical, (2) hybrid empirical/physics-based, and (3) full physics-based coupled corona-heliosphere models over an 8-year period (1995–2002). L1 measurements of the radial solar wind speed are the primary basis for validation of the coronal and heliosphere models studied, though other solar wind parameters are also considered. …

Ambient Solar Wind's Effect On Icme Transit Times, A. W. Case, Harlan E. Spence, M. J. Owens, P. Riley, D. Odstrcil

Physics & Astronomy

[1] Most empirical and numerical models of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (ICME) propagation use the initial CME velocity as their primary, if not only, observational input. These models generally predict a wide spread of 1 AU transit times for ICMEs with the same initial velocity. We use a 3D coupled MHD model of the corona and heliosphere to determine the ambient solar wind's effect on the propagation of ICMEs from 30 solar radii to 1 AU. We quantitatively characterize this deceleration by the velocity of the upstream ambient solar wind. The effects of varying solar wind parameters on the ICME …

Observations Of High Frequency, Long Range Acoustic Propagation In A Harbor Environment, Michelle Weirathmueller, Thomas C. Weber, Larry A. Mayer

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The positioning and navigation of AUV's in harbor environments using underwater acoustics is complicated by shallow waters, long propagation distances, and complex oceanographic features. This paper reports on high frequency (40 kHz) acoustic measurements made in Portsmouth Harbor, NH, USA, which is an estuary containing several riverine inputs and a strong tidal flow (2+ knots). A one-way propagation experiment was conducted at the mouth of the harbor for propagation distances up to 100 water depths. Strong signatures of a variety of phenomenon were observed in the acoustic signal levels, including tidal heights and currents, turbulent mixing, and wind/wave action. The …

Unh Tech Camp Inspires Innovation, Debra Williams

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

'Budding' Scientists From Inner-City Schools To Study Plant Biotech At Unh July 20 - 28, 2008, Beth Potier

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Inherent Length-Scales Of Periodic Solar Wind Number Density Structures, N. M. Viall, L. Kepko, Harlan E. Spence

Physics & Astronomy

[1] We present an analysis of the radial length-scales of periodic solar wind number density structures. We converted 11 years (1995–2005) of solar wind number density data into radial length series segments and Fourier analyzed them to identify all spectral peaks with radial wavelengths between 72 (116) and 900 (900) Mm for slow (fast) wind intervals. Our window length for the spectral analysis was 9072 Mm, approximately equivalent to 7 (4) h of data for the slow (fast) solar wind. We required that spectral peaks pass both an amplitude test and a harmonic F-test at the 95% confidence level simultaneously. …

"Outreach" Day At Boston Geosciences Symposium Features Unh Forest Watch Program, David Sims

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Simultaneous Measurements Of Particulate And Gas-Phase Water-Soluble Organic Carbon Concentrations At Remote And Urban-Influenced Locations, C Anderson, Jack E. Dibb, Robert J. Griffin, M Bergin

Earth Sciences

The sources, sinks, and overall importance of watersoluble organic carbon (WSOC) in the atmosphere are not well understood. Although the primary historical focus has been on particulate WSOC (WSOCP), here we also present results obtained using a newly developed technique that additionally measures gas-phase water-soluble organic carbon (WSOCG). These first-of-their-kind measurements show that WSOCG can often be more than ten times larger than WSOCP at both urban and remote locations. The average fraction of WSOC residing in the gas phase (fg = WSOCG/(WSOCG + WSOCP)) at five various field sites ranged from 0.64 to 0.93, implying significant differences in WSOC …

Very Shallow Water Bathymetry Retrieval From Hyperspectral Imagery At The Virginia Coast Reserve (Vcr'07) Multi-Sensor Campaign, Charles M. Bachmann, Marcos J. Montes, Robert A. Fusina, Christopher Parrish, Jon Sellars, Alan Weidemann, Wesley Goode, C Reid Nichols, Patrick Woodward, Kevin Mcilhany, Victoria Hill, Richard Zimmerman, Daniel Korwan, Barry Truitt, A. Schwarzschild

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

A number of institutions, including the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), have developed look up tables for remote retrieval of bathymetry and in-water optical properties from hyperspectral imagery (HSI) [6]. For bathymetry retrieval, the lower limit is the very shallow water case (here defined as < 2m), a depth zone which is not well resolved by many existing bathymetric LIDAR sensors, such as SHOALS [4]. The ability to rapidly model these shallow water depths from HSI directly has potential benefits for combined HSI/LIDAR systems such as the Compact Hydrographic Airborne Rapid Total Survey (CHARTS) [10]. In this study, we focused on the validation of a near infra-red feature, corresponding to a local minimum in absorption (and therefore a local peak in reflectance), which can be correlated directly to bathymetry with a high degree of confidence. Compared to other VNIR wavelengths, this particular near-IR feature corresponds to a peak in the correlation with depth in this very shallow water regime, and this is a spectral range where reflectance depends primarily on water depth (water absorption) and bottom type, with suspended constituents playing a secondary role.

Analysis Of Aircraft And Satellite Measurements From The Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment (Intex-B) To Quantify Long-Range Transport Of East Asian Sulfur To Canada, Aaron Van Donkelaar, R V. Martin, W R. Leaitch, A M. Macdonald, T W. Walker, David G. Streets, Q Zhang, E J. Dunlea, Jose L. Jimenez, Jack E. Dibb, L Gregory Huey, Rodney J. Weber, M O. Andreae

Earth Sciences

We interpret a suite of satellite, aircraft, and ground-based measurements over the North Pacific Ocean and western North America during April–May 2006 as part of the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Phase B (INTEX-B) campaign to understand the implications of long-range transport of East Asian emissions to North America. The Canadian component of INTEX-B included 33 vertical profiles from a Cessna 207 aircraft equipped with an aerosol mass spectrometer. Long-range transport of organic aerosols was insignificant, contrary to expectations. Measured sulfate plumes in the free troposphere over British Columbia exceeded 2 μg/m3. We update the global anthropogenic emission inventory in a …

Unh Law Alumni Magazine, Summer 2008, University Of New Hampshire School Of Law

UNH Law Alumni Magazine

No abstract provided.

Engineer And Architect Robert Tillotson Selected As Ceps Distinguished Alumnus, Debra Johnybear

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Local Anthropogenic Impact On Particulate Elemental Carbon Concentrations At Summit, Greenland, Gayle S.W. Hagler, M Bergin, E A. Smith, M Town, Jack E. Dibb

Earth Sciences

Summit, Greenland is a remote Arctic research station allowing for field measurements at the highest point of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Due to the current reliance on diesel generators for electricity at Summit, unavoidable local emissions are a potential contamination threat to the measurement of combustion-related species in the air and snow. The effect of fossil-fuel combustion on particulate elemental carbon (EC) is assessed by a combination of ambient measurements (∼1 km from the main camp), a series of snow pits, and Gaussian plume modeling. Ambient measurements indicate that the air directly downwind of the research station generators experiences particulate …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 97 [98], No. 24 [53] (May 6, 2008), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 97, but it is the 98th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

This issue was printed as 24, but it is the 53rd issue in this volume. This was corrected in pencil.

Nh Grammy Winner Named Entrepreneurial Venture Creation Person Of The Year, Lori Wright

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

An Event Study To Provide Validation Of Ting And Cmit Geomagnetic Middle-Latitude Electron Densities At The F2 Peak, A. G. Burns, W. Wang, M. Wiltberger, S. C. Soloman, Harlan E. Spence, T. L. Killeen, R. E. Lopez, J. E. Landivar

Physics & Astronomy

[1] The coupled thermosphere-ionosphere magnetosphere (CMIT) model and the Thermosphere Ionosphere Nested Grid (TING) model have been run to simulate the 15 May 1997 interplanetary coronal mass ejection's (ICME) effects on the Earth's ionosphere and thermosphere. Comparisons were made between these model runs, the IRI-2007 model, and geomagnetic middle-latitude ionosonde data (NmF2) from the World Data Center to determine how well the models simulated the event and to understand the causes of model-data disagreement. The following conclusions were drawn from this study: (1) skill scores were more often negative than positive on average; (2) the best and the worst skill …

U.S. Law Of The Sea Cruise To Map The Foot Of The Slope Of The Northeast U.S. Atlantic Continental Margin: Leg 6, Brian R. Calder, James V. Gardner

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

U.S. Law of the Sea Cruise to Map the Foot of the Slope of the Northeast U.S. Atlantic Continental Margin: Leg 6

Cruise KNOX17RR

May 1 – 31, 2008

Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Woods Hole, MA

From The Arctic To The Tropics: The U.S. Unclos Bathymetric Mapping Program, James V. Gardner, Larry A. Mayer, Andy Armstrong

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Since CHC2006, the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal & Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center has mapped with multibeam, the bathymetry of an additional ~220,000 km2 of seafloor in areas as diverse as the Arctic, the Northern Marianas of the western Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. The mapping supports any potential U.S. submission for of extended continental shelves under Article 76 of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea. Consequently, the mapping has concentrated on capturing the complete extent of the 2500-m isobath and the zone where the Article 76-defined foot of the slope exists. In …

Iho S-100: The New Hydrographic Geospatial Standard For Marine Data And Information, Robert Ward, Lee Alexander, Barrie Greenslade, Anthony Pharaoh

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental consultative and technical organization established in 1921 to support the safety of navigation, and to contribute to the protection of the marine environment. One of its primary roles is to establish and maintain appropriate standards to assist in the proper and efficient use of hydrographic data and information. This paper describes the new IHO Geospatial Standard for Hydrographic Data to be known as S-100, together with the Geospatial Information Infrastructure (GII) that is in the course of development and implementation by the IHO. In both cases, details have yet to be finalised …

Environmental Response Management Application, Michele Jacobi, Nancy E. Kinner, Rob Braswell, Kurt Schwehr, Kimberly S. Newman, Amy A. Merten

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), a partnership between the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (ORR), is leading an effort to develop a data platform capable of interfacing both static and real-time data sets accessible simultaneously to a command post and assets in the field with an open source internet mapping server. The Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA™) is designed to give responders and decision makers ready access to geographically specific data useful during spill planning/drills, incident response, damage assessment and site restoration. In addition to oil spill and chemical release response, this …

The Impact Of Local Sources And Long-Range Transport On Aerosol Properties Over The Northeast U.S. Region During Intex-Na, K L. Thornhill, Gao Chen, Jack E. Dibb, C. Jordan, Ali Omar, E L. Winstead, Greg Schuster, A D. Clarke, Cameron Mcnaughton, Eric Scheuer, D R. Blake, Glen Sachse, L Gregory Huey, H B. Singh, Bruce E. Anderson

Earth Sciences

We use data collected aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the summer 2004, Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Evolution Experiment over North America (INTEX-NA) field campaign to examine the origin, composition, physical and optical properties of aerosols within air masses sampled over and downwind of the northeastern U.S. We note that aerosol concentrations within the region exhibited steep vertical gradients and significant variability in both time and space. An examination of air mass chemical signatures and backward trajectories indicates that transport from four, significantly different source regions contributed to the variability: the subtropical Atlantic Ocean (AO); the U.S. west coast and …

A Compton Telescope For Remote Location And Identification Of Radioactive Material, James M. Ryan, Justin Baker, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, Richard Carande

Space Science Center

The spare detectors from NASA Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory COMPTEL instrument have been reconfigured to demonstrate the capability at ground level to remotely locate and identify sources of g radiation or the movement of material that might shield γ-ray sources. The Gamma-Ray Experimental Telescope Assembly (GRETA) employs two 28 cm diameter scintillation detectors separated by 81 cm: one 8.5 cm thick liquid scintillator detector and one 7.5 cm thick NaI(Tl) detector. The assembly electronics and real-time data acquisition system measures the energy deposits and time-of- flight for each coincident detection and compiles histograms of total energy and incident angle as computed …

Factors Influencing The Large-Scale Distribution Of Hg° In The Mexico City Area And Over The North Pacific, Robert W. Talbot, Huiting Mao, Jack E. Dibb, M A. Avery, E V. Browell, G W. Sachse, S Vay, D R. Blake, L Gregory Huey, H Fuelberg

Earth Sciences

Gas-phase elemental mercury (Hg°) was measured aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Phase B (INTEX-B) campaign in spring 2006. Flights were conducted around Mexico City and on two subsequent deployments over the North Pacific based out of Honolulu, Hawaii and Anchorage, Alaska. Data obtained from 0.15–12 km altitude showed that Hg° exhibited a relatively constant vertical profile centered around 100 ppqv. Highly concentrated pollution plumes emanating from the Mexico City urban agglomeration revealed that mixing ratios of Hg° as large as 500 ppqv were related to combustion tracers such as CO, but not SO2 which …

Development And Performance Of The Fast Neutron Imaging Telescope For Snm Detection, James M. Ryan, U Bravar, E O. Fluckiger, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, B Pirard, R S. Woolf

Space Science Center

FNIT (the Fast Neutron Imaging Telescope), a detector with both imaging and energy measurement capabilities, sensitive to neutrons in the range 0.8-20 MeV, was initially conceived to study solar neutrons as a candidate design for the Inner Heliosphere Sentinel (IHS) spacecraft of NASA's Solar Sentinels program and successively reconfigured to locate fission neutron sources. By accurately identifying the position of the source with imaging techniques and reconstructing the Watt spectrum of fission neutrons, FNIT can detect samples of special nuclear material (SNM), including heavily shielded and masked ones. The detection principle is based on multiple elastic neutron-proton scatterings in organic …

Spring 2008, Four Unh Students Named Recipients Of National Awards For Academic Work Abroad In 2008-2009, Center For International Education

UNH International Educator Newsletter

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program has awarded UNH seniors Erin Kiley and Lisa Mulvey prestigious national scholarships for post-baccalaureate work abroad in the coming academic year.

Sophomore Jordan Caley and junior Holly Eaton will study abroad during the coming academic year on Boren Scholarships awarded competitively through the National Security Education Program (NSEP). They are among a group of 150 students selected from a national pool of 697.

A Quantitative Assessment Of Empirical Magnetic Field Models At Geosynchronous Orbit During Magnetic Storms, Chia-Lin L. Huang, Harlan E. Spence, H. J. Singer, N. A. Tsyganenko

Physics & Astronomy

[1] We evaluate the performance of recent empirical magnetic field models (Tsyganenko, 1996, 2002a, 2002b; Tsyganenko and Sitnov, 2005, hereafter referred to as T96, T02 and TS05, respectively) during magnetic storm times including both pre- and post-storm intervals. The model outputs are compared with GOES observations of the magnetic field at geosynchronous orbit. In the case of a major magnetic storm, the T96 and T02 models predict anomalously strong negative Bz at geostationary orbit on the nightside due to input values exceeding the model limits, whereas a comprehensive magnetic field data survey using GOES does not support that prediction. On …

Geotail And Lfm Comparisons Of Plasma Sheet Climatology: 2. Flow Variability, T. B. Guild, Harlan E. Spence, E. L. Kepko, V. Merkin, J. G. Lyon, M. Wiltberger, C. C. Goodrich

Physics & Astronomy

[1] We characterize the variability of central plasma sheet bulk flows with a 6-year Geotail data set and a 2-month Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) global MHD simulation at two spatial resolutions. Comparing long databases of observed and simulated parameters enable rigorous statistical tests of the model's ability to predict plasma sheet properties during routine driving conditions and represent a new method of global MHD validation. In this study, we use probability density functions (PDFs) to compare the statistics of plasma sheet velocities in the Geotail observations with those in the LFM simulations. We find that the low-resolution model grossly underestimates the occurrence …

Geotail And Lfm Comparisons Of Plasma Sheet Climatology: 1. Average Values, T. B. Guild, Harlan E. Spence, E. L. Kepko, V. Merkin, J. G. Lyon, M. Wiltberger, C. C. Goodrich

Physics & Astronomy

[1] We compare the statistics of central plasma sheet properties from 6 years of Geotail observations with 2 months of Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) global MHD simulations. This statistical validation effort represents an inherently new method of systematically characterizing and quantifying global MHD model performance. For our comparison, we identify the central plasma sheet in the observations and simulation by identical criteria and select the simulation interval to ensure statistically similar distributions of solar wind conditions in both studies. After verifying our plasma sheet selection by inspecting the magnetic signatures of both studies, we compare the resultant number densities, thermal pressures, thermal …

The Whittemore Wire, Spring 2008: Focus On Research, Whittemore School Of Business And Economics

Paul College Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Damage To The Central Thalamus On Learned Behaviors, Kimberly Voorhies

Inquiry Journal 2008

No abstract provided.